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Two zones come on when only one is suppose to.

Here is my problem? I have the Irritrol Slim Dial controller. I installed this irriagtion 6 water zone system 14 years ago. I have had no problem until late-last summer. When zone 2 comes on so does zone 5 and when zone 3 comes on so does zone 6 and visa vera?
I changed the controller to a new one, no change. I then changed out all diaphrams, no change.
I then checked my wire to make sure I didn't have a cross wire. No change. I then cleaned up and reconnected all connections in box, no change.
Not sure what to do now?

No, I didnt run new wiring, i checked the wiring from the controlled to value box, to make sure that no cross wiring from breaks in the outer sheathing had occurred from weathering, etc.
I only checked the connections for each hot wire and commons to make sure, that all were connected since they had done just fine for 14 years. If I disconnet zone 2 wire from controller and run zone 5, then zone 5 will come on, but with zone 2 wire connected to controller, both zone 5 and zone 2 come on?

I kept the orginal slim dial controller. I also called the manufacturers help line. There advice was that I have a wire either crossed or one them is shorting out, but I have not found that to be so as noted in previous paragraph.

This post has been edited 3 times, last edit by "roswell" (Apr 17th 2009, 9:04am)

Crossed wires.

It's a wiring problem. You said you ran a new "wire"? Did you run a whole set of wires from the controller to the valves? I say that because you also stated you cleaned up the wires in the box. If you had run a new bundle of wires there wouldn't be any reason to clean up the old connections. Someone possibly hit the wires somewhere with a shovel.

misread

Guess I misread. I thought you ran one wire from the controller to the box for some reason. I couldn't figure out why. I have a question or two. Are you using the new controller or did you put the old one back in after you determined you still had the same problem? What's the new controller if you're using it? Something's fishy. Here's your options. Crossed wires, the wires aren't hooked up to the controller correctly or the controller's bad. What you've described in your last paragraph sounds like a bad controller. You say you have a new controller though. So, either the wires aren't hooked up right or they're crossed somewhere. Make sure the ground wire is the same on the controller as at the valves. Did you use a staple gun on the bundle of wires? Or tack them down somehow? That can easily cross the wires if you miss a tad or over do it. Is there a place where the wires have been spliced somewhere along the line? That's where the problem lies many a time. 14 years is a long time. Think back.

if you remove all zone wires from the controller marking them so you can put them back correctly,make zone 2 call for watering if you have 24v on zone 2 and 5 terminals the controller is bad.with wires still removed(no power applied)check for continuity between zone 2 wire and zone 5 wire if you have continuity there is a short somewhere